Railway safety appliance.



J. CULTON.

RAILWAY SAFETY APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT I4, I9I3. 1,235,879.. v I Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTO,

W I TNESSES.- 5G51. am,

J. CULTON.

RAILWAY SAFETY APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14, 1913.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917'.

3 SHEETSMSHEET 2.

1. CULTON.

RAILWAY SAFETY AFPLIANCE. APPLrcATmN FILED ocT.14. 1913.

Patented Aug. 7, 19,17.

@l Q.-Hmw/.TO a MU m m Ja/U m m 7 m v 5 mi al 6, MW 4/7, @l 0 A James Cu/on.

l in the accompanying JAMES GULTON, O F DENVER, .COLORADQ.

RAILWAY SAFETY ARPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. *7, 1917.

App1cationf1e. october 14, 1913. lSerial No. 795,046,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES CnLroN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Safety Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railway safety appli-ance in which an element carried on a locomotive or other self-propelling vehicle, will automatically arrest the movement thereof when brought in operati-ve engagement with a correlative element located adjacent the track on which the said locomotive or vehicle travels.

The principal object of my invention resides in the provision of coperative elements of the character above described one of which comprises a contrivance which is operatively connected with a railway sig naling instrument such as a semaphore, to be placed in a condition for the actuation of the other element, when the signaling member of the said instrument is moved to its danger indicating position.

The other element which is carried by a locomotive or other vehicle moving on the track, comprises in coperative association with a member adapted to be actuated by engagement with the contrivance aforesaid, which is disposed in the path thereof, a system of levers and valves which when the said member is actuated, will close the throttle of a locomotive engine, reverse the normal condition of the air brake system to set the brakes of the engine and the cars connected therewith, and at the same time cause adischarge of sand on the rails to stop the motion of the wheels of the engine by frictional resistance.

By the use of my invention, accidents are averted by automatically arresting the 'motion of an engine, train or car when by inadvertence or negligence of its driver, it is permitted to pass a track signal set at danger either manually or automatically as in railroads using the automatic block signaling system, for which my invent-ion is more particularly adapted.

T he above and other objects all of which will fully appear in the following description. l attain by the mechanism illustrated drawings the rious view-s of which like parts are simiv larly designated and in which,

Figure l, is elevation, partially in sectio-n, of the element of my invention applied to a locomotive engine, in its operative -relation to the stationary track ele ment, part of Vwhicll has been shown in longitudinal section,

Fig. f2, a transverse section through the track and the track element, together with a rear elevation of a locomotive engine supported on the track, and the element of my invention .carried thereon,

Fig. 3, a horizontal section through the track member taken along the line 3-3, Fig. l,

Fig. 4, a transverse section through part of the track .element taken along the line 5.-5, Fig. ,3, and drawn to an enlarged scale,y

Fig. 5, a vertical section through the base of .a semaphore to which is applied the mechanism by which one or more of the tracheelements comprised in my invention are set for operation, when the signaling member of thesemaphore is thrown to its danger-indicating position,

Fig. 6, an enlarged end-view of the double electric switch included in the semaphore-operated mechanism, looking in the direction of the arrow A, Fig. 3,

Fig. 7, a diagramma-tic representation of the circuits employed in transmitting the movements of the semaphore into an operative action of the traclcelemen-t which forms part of my invention as shown in Fig. Q,

F-ig. 8, a `plan view of a section of a railroad track showing the arrangement of the track-elements with rel-ation to a semaphore, and

Fig. 9, an enlarged section taken along the line 9-9, Fig. 2.

My Yinvention has been shown in the drawings as applied to a steam-propelled locomotive and y'n connection with an automatic semaphore of a type employed in many of the automatic block-signaling systems at present in use, and it will be described in these connections in the following descrip tion.

I desire it understood however, that the coperative elements by which the movemont of the engine .along a railroad. track is instrument capable of notifying drivers of approaching engines or vehicles of impending danger, or it may be used independent of a signaling device where it is desired to control the movement or the speed of railway trains or other self propelledjvehicles.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the reference character 2 designates a railroad track, 3 vthe rear portion of a locomotive supported thereon, and 4 an electrically operated semaphore which is erected adjacent the track for the usual purpose.-

The track element of my invention whichA in its entirety is designated by the numeral 5, comprises a base plate 6 which is rigidly secured at one side of the track and in parallel relation to the rails thereof, upon a foundation bed 7 of concrete or other suitable material. Y

The base plate has at its endsv a plurality of apertures lthrough which project the threaded ends of stud bolts 9 which are firmly anchored in..the bed as shown in Fig. 1,v and which are provided with nuts 10 which by engagement with the upper surface of the plate, firmly secure the latter in its proper position with relation to the track.

Coiled springs 12 which are supported in an upright position in sockets 13 formed on the plateY 6 in the inclosure provided by a surrounding flange 14, carry at their upper ends, a hollow rail 15 the upper surface of which is curved longitudinally. i j

Bolts 16 attached at their upper ends to the rail, lextend loosely through the respective springs and through central openings vin the sockets in which the latter are supported, to guide the rail during i'ts vertical movements. Y l

To prevent water from reaching the operatingl mechanism disposed in the inclos'ure provided by the flange 14, the hollow rail has its edges projecting over the said flange, and the space between the said edges and the surface of the plate is closed by means of an endless apron 19l made of canvas, rubber or other suitable, flexible material, which is secured along the edges of the plate and along those of the rail as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

The base plate of the track element has a transverse depression 17 vand at one end thereof, a bearing- 8 for the support of an operating rod 22 hereinafter to be described. Exteriorly of the bearing is a 'threaded enlargement for the application of a nut by meansof which the flanged end of a tubular conduit 18 is held in water-tight connection with said bearing and this ,conduit which.

provides a subterranean housing for the operating rod, is at its opposite end, connected with a water-tight housing 119.

Rotatably mounted in the housing, is a crank disk 20 a wrist of which is by means of a link 21 connected with an end of the before mentioned rod 22 which extends through the conduit 18 and the bearing 8, 'the latter having been provided with a suitable packing to prevent the passage of water around therod.

The rod 22 is at its opposite Vend pivotally connected with a pair of oppositely extending levers 24 which are fulcrumed upon the plate 6 as at 25, and which at their outer extremities are pivotallv Yattached to blocks 26 which are slidably fittedV in openings 27 in one of the side walls of the flange 14 to move outwardly beneath the adiacent edge of the rail 15.

A second pair of blocks 28 are slidably fitted in openings 29 formed in alinement with those in the opposite side wall of the flange 14, andare rigidly connectedwith the rod 22 by means of transversely extending, alined bars 30.

From the foregoing. description it will be understood that the blocks 26 and 28 which normally extend inside the openings out of the downward path of the longitudinal edges of the rail, will when the rod 22 'moves longitudinally7 in the direction of the arrow F in Fig. 3, be projected beneath said edges in the position shown in Fig. 3 to prevent 'downward motion of the rail, for the purpose of actuating the element of the invention which is mounted on the locomotive, as will hereinafter be more fully described.

A second wrist 31 on'the crank disk 20 extends loosely in a U-shaped slot of a bar 32 which is slidably mounted in connection with the common core 33 of a pair of axially 'alined oppositely wound coils 34 and 35 of a solenoid magne The coils of the solenoid are connected in electric circuits with a switch 36 mounted in the base 37 of the semaphore 4 in operative 'connection with the operating rod 38 of the same, which as shown in Fig. 3, extends through the hollow stand 39 of the instrument to connect at its upper extremity with the signal-blade 40 shown in Fig. 2, and at its opposite end with an electric operating mechanism'which in the drawings has been designated in its entirety by the numeral 41..

The switch 36 consists of a segmental plate 44 of nonconductive material provided with two pairsY of correspondingly shaped contact strips 42 and 43 which are secured respectively at opposite sides thereof. An arm 45 pivotally mounted in the semaphore stand connects at one of its en ds with the operating rod 38 and carries at its opposite extremity a pair of Contact rollers 46 adapted to simultaneously engage the two Y'members of eitherv pair of contact strips on the plate 44, for their` electrical connection. Y

The ends of the plate 44 are flexible and curved in opposite directions so that the rollers on the arm 45 after having been moved in one direction along` a side of the plate and beyond an end thereof, are during their subsequent motion in the opopsite :direction, compelled to engage the opposite side of the same.

It will thus be seen that by Yan oscillatory movement of the switch arm about its pivot, the rollers 46 will alternately establish electrical connections between the contact strips of the two pairs at opposite sides of the plate, thereby alternately closing the two circuits of which said strips are the terminals.

The circuits above referred to are shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings in which the numeral 47 designates a storage battery or other suitable source of electricity, one pole of which is by means of wires 48 connected with corresponding ends of the two solenoid coils, while its opposite pole is by means of conductors 49 connected with one of the contact strips of each of the two pairs comprised in the switch 36, the other strips of the said pairs being connected by wires 50, respectively with the ends of the solenoid coils opposite to those which are connected with the battery.

Presuming that the blade of the semaphore shown in Fig. 3 is in its lowered position to indicate a clear condition of the track, the contact rollers 46 are disengaged from the upper Aend of the switch plate ready to engage the side of the plate at which the contacts 43 are located.

.Vhen by action of the electric operating mechanism of the semaphore, the rod 38 is moved in the direct-ion of the arrow C to throw the blade in the danger indicating position, the switch-arm 45 is moved about its pivot and by the engagement of its rollers with the contact strips 43, closes the circuit of the coil 134 of the solenoid magnet, with the result that the core of the latter and the therewith connected bar 32 are moved in the direction of the arrow D, Fig. 2.

During the iirst portion of this movement of the magnet core, the disk 20 whose wrist 31 is normally disposed at one end of the horizontal portion of the U-shaped slot in the bar, will not be affected thereby, but remain stationary until a lug 51 on the bar which normally occupies a peripheral notch in the disk to lock the latter against rotation, is moved out of said notch, when the wrist by engagement with the opposite end of the slot, will cause the disk to turn in the direction of the arrow E until the contact rollers have moved off the contact strips and the opposite insulated end portion yof the switch plate, when by consequent denergizat-ion of the coil 34 the movement of the magnet core is discontinued.

At the termination of the above described movement of the disk 20, a second lug 52 formed at the end of the bar 32 has entered a second notch in the periphery of the disk which is thus again locked against rotation until by movement of the bar in the opposite direction, the said lug is again moved out of its notch. f

When the semaphore blade is returned to its lowered position by movement of the rod 38 in the opposite direction, the consequent movement of the arm 45 will cause the rollers at its extremity to move upwardly along the opposite side of the switch plate, thereby establishing an electric connection between the strips 42 and energizing the coil 35 of the solenoid magnet which draws the core of the same in the opposite direction and returns the disk 2O to its normal position.

When the semaphore blade is in its lowered position to indicate to drivers of approaching engines or cars that the block of the railroad track at the entrance of which the semaphore is erected, is unoccupied and can be entered without danger of encountering or overtaking other trains, the parts of the mechanism hereinbefore described are in the normal position illus-- trated in the drawings, in which the blocks 26 and 28 of the track element are positioned inside the external surfaces of the side walls of the flange 14 of the base plate, as shown in Fig. 2.

When by action of the electric operating mechanism of the semaphore, as hereinbefore described, the blade is moved to the danger indicating position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, the consequent rotary motion of the disk 2O as hereinbefore described, causes the rod 22 to move longitudinally in the direction of the arrow F in Fig. 3, with the result that the blocks 26 and 28 connected at its ends are moved outwardly underneath the longitudinal edges of the rail 15 which in consequence is blocked against downward movement for the actuation of the locomotive-carried element of my invention, the construction of which will hereinafter be described.

To clearly indicate to drivers of approaching engines or other vehicles to which my invention is applied, the location of the track `element and to furthermore show that the operating mechanism thereof is in working order, I provide the housing 19 with a low stand 62 at the upper end of which a signaling blade 63 similar to that of the semaphore but of smaller proportions is operatively mounted in connection with a rod 64 which at its lower extremity is attached to a third wrist 65 on the crankdisk 20.

sel

In connection with the rod 64 I provide a pair of dash-pots 66 which by compression of air in their cylinders prevent too sudden motion of the parts of the mechanism by the action of the solenoid core.

The element of my invention which is carried on the locomotive has been made the subject of a separate application for patent divisional of the present application.

It consists, briefly of a plurality of devices for retarding and arresting the movement of the vehicle which are actuated by the contactof an operating medium with the rail of the track element.

The devices above referred to include a mechanism which is adapted to effect a closing movement of the throttle valve of the engine without interfering with its manual adjustment under ordinary circumstances.

The mechanism consists, briefly, of a yoke 77 which through the instrumentality of an arm 81 pivotally connected with the throttle lever 8O unlocks the lever and moves it to its throttle closing position. The yoke is to this end operatively connected with a piston in a cylinder 711 which is connected with a reservoir 73 of motive fluid by means of a conduit 72 the flow through which is controlled by a valve 71.

A second valve 89 controls the exhaust of air from the air-brake system of the engine through the end of a branch-pipe 90. Levers 69 and 70 connected with laterally extending arms on the rotary plugs of the two valves, extend in the path of the operating medium hereinafter to be described, and a third lever 93'which connects with the rod 94E of the normally closed discharge valve of the sandbox 96 of the engine is connected with a vertically reciprocating rod 91 the lower end of which has an enlargement 92.

The operating medium consists of a bar 58 vertically slidably mounted in bearings on a bracket 54.

The bar carries at its lower end a rotary wheel 57 which in the operation rides along the curved tread of the rail 0n the trackelement and it has at its opposite end a comcal head which engages the levers 69 and 70 and the enlargement of the rod 91 when the bar of which it forms part moves upwardly.

The wheel 57 is peripherally sharpened to provide a cutting edgewhich when the tread of the rail is covered with sno-w, mud or ice, will penetrate the obstructive matter and thereby insure the contact of the wheel with the tread of the rail, and thus prevent excessive upward motion of the bar.

A nut 58 on the bar limits its downward motion by engagement with the bracket 54: and a spring 59 applied between the bracket and a shoulder on the bar yieldingly opposes the latters movement in the opposite direc- L etion. n M n Y The resist-ance to compression of the spring 59 exceeds that of the combined springs on which the rail of the track element is supported, and the wheel of the operating medium when riding along the tread of the rail will in consequence depress the latter unless v it is blocked against downward motion by the mechanism hereinbefore described.

It follows that the contact of the operating medium of a passing locomotive with t-he rails of the track element-s will not effect the automatic movement controlling mechanism of which it forms part unless the downward movementl of the rails of the track elements is obstructed by the adj ustment of the blocking mechanism.

A whistle 108 may be provided in connection with the air-pipe72 to sound an alarm by the flo-w of air past the valve 71.

When my invention is installed in connection with the signaling instruments of an automatic signaling system I preferably place one of the track elements 5, a sufcient distance in advance of each signaling instrument as at K in Fig. 8, to cause a train or vehicle which carries the correlative element of the apparatus to be brought to a stop before the front end thereof has passed the said instrument, and in addition thereto I install another track element directly opposite to the signaling instrument as at M, so that if after a train has passed thectrack 'element at K the semaphore at M is moved to the danger indicating position by atrain entering the block at the entrance to which the instrument is disposed, the first-mentioned train will be brought to a stop before it has passed the instrument.

It is obvious that in the track elements installed at points opposite to the signaling instruments, the housing 19 may be omitted and the mechanism by which the movements of the signaling instrument are transmit-ted to the parts which control the downward motion of the respective rails r15 may be mounted in the base of the respective instruments as shown in Fig. 9 and the motive power used in operating the signaling instrument may be employed to operate the track element of my device by connecting the rod 22 therewith.

When the rail 15 of the track element is rendered immovable by the projected position of the blocks 26 and 28, the wheel 57 of the operating medium of a passing locotive engaging its tread will, while mounting to the apex thereof, cause an upward movemeinty of the rod 53 with which it is connected. This upward motion is transmitted to the rod 91 by the engagement of the head 60 with the enlargement 92 at the lower end thereof, with the result that the outlet-pipe 95 of the sand box 96 is opened for the dischargeof sand onto the rails of the track 2.

The engagement of the head of the rod 53 with the inwardly projecting arms of the bent levers 69 and 70 opens at the same time the valves 7l and 89 with which these levers are respectively connected, to introduce air into the cylinder 74 through the pipe 72 for the purpose of closing the throttle valve, as hereinbefore explained, and to permit the air of the brake system to exhaust through the valve 89 whereby the brakes are set.

By thus discontinuing the supply of motive fluid to an engine and at the same time setting the brakes of the train and discharging sand onto the rails of the track to provide a frictional resistance to the movement of the wheels thereon, the locomotive and .the cars connected therewith are automatically brought to a stop within a short distance from the point at which the semaphore is located, and accidents which might readily have occurred in case the engine had continued its course past the danger signal, are thus averted.

The operation of the mechanism of the track element of my invention by which the movement of the operating rod of the semaphore is transmitted to the parts by which the rail 15 is blocked against downward movement, has been fully described in the foregoing description and does not require further explanation at this point, it being understood that by the provision of the locking means, on the crankdisk, ltampering with the mechanism by manipulation of the exterior parts of the signaling devices, is effectively prevented.

It will be understood that instead of connecting the blocking contrivance of the track element to move in conjunction with the operating mechanism of a semaphore, it may if so desired, be elfectively associated with signaling devices of dilferent character or with the pivoted tongue of a railway switch, such as those indicating conditions existing at railroad stations or those indicating the condition of a railroad track or road bed as for example, when a portion of the track or road bed is in a dangerous condition or when a bridge is undergoing repair.

The blocking contrivance may also be associated with the pivoted point of a railway switch or with any of the diierent switching appliances used at railroad grade crossings, or wherever it is desired to automatically control the movement or the speed of a railroad train or self-propelled vehicle either in conjunction with a signaling "device or independent thereof.

t is furthermore observed that the housing 19 together with its stand and with the indicatory device and its operating mechanism inclosed therein, provides, individually, a signaling instrument of novel construction and as such can be used independently of the other parts of the track-element.

I claiml. ln apparatus of the character described, a track-element comprising a baseplate having aspace-inclosing flange, and a hollow rail vertically yieldably supported thereon with its edges projecting over said flange for the exclusion of water and foreign substances.

2. n apparatus of the character described, a track-element comprising a baseplate having a space inclosing flange, a hollow rail vertically yieldably supported thereon with its edges projecting over said flange, blocks slidable through openings in said flange to arrest downward movement of the said rail by engagement with its said edges, and means in said space for the simultaneous adjustment of said blocks.

3. ln apparatus of the character described, a track-element comprising a baseplate, a rail vertically yieldably supported thereon, and a flexible apron connecting the said rail with the said base, to inclose the space between the same.

t. ln' apparatus of the character described, a track element comprising an actuating member yieldingly held in its effective position, blocks for obstructing yielding movement of said member at dierent points thereof, and means for the simultaneous adjustment of said blocks.

5. In apparatus of the 'character described, a track element comprising a base plate, a rail downwardly movably mounted thereon and having an inclined tread, a plurality of blocks adjustably mounted on said plate for obstructing downward movement of the rail at dierent points thereof, and mechanism for the simultaneous adjustment of said blocks.

6. In apparatus of the character described, a track-element including a normally effective actuating member capable of being moved to an ineffective position and adjustable means for maintaining said member in its said effective position by obstructing its said movement, a crank-disk having a wrist in operative connection with said means, an electro-magnet, and a bar connecting the core of said magnet with a second wrist on said disk.

7. In apparatus of the character described, a track-element comprising a normally effective actuating member capable of being moved to an ineective position and adjustable means for maintaining said member in its said eective position by obstructing its said movement, a crank disk having a wrist in operative connection with said means, an electro-magnet and a bar connecting the armature of said magnet with a second wrist on As'aid disk, the said bar and the massig said disk having cooperative means for locking the latter in its adjusted positions.

8. In apparatus of the character described, a track-element comprising a normally effective actuating member capable of being moved to an ineffective position, and adjustable means for maintaining said member in its said effective position by obstructing its said movement, a housing, an electromagnet, including an armature indicatory means exteriorly of said housing and a crank disk mounted in said housing in operative connection with said adjustable means, said armature and said indicatory means.

9. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a signaling instrument, of a track element comprising an actuating member capable of being moved to an ineifective position7 an adjustable contrivance controlling the movement of said member, an electrical device connected to be energized by the operation of said instrument, and mechanism actuated by the operation of said device for the adjustment of said contrivance, including means for locking it in either one of two determinate positions.

10. In apparatus of the character described, a track-element comprising a baseplate, a rail vertically movably supported thereon, means, shiftably supported on said plate to be moved bodily to a position in which it blocks the downward motion of the rail, a signaling instrument in an automatic track signaling system, and mechanism for transmitting an operative movement thereof to the said shiftable means for moving it to its said blocking position.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a track-element including a tripmember movable to an inoperative position, an adjustable device for locking said member in an operative position, a mechanism for the adjustment of said device, and an indicatory appliance operated by said mechanism and adapted to indicate at a point above the surface of the ground, the position to which said device has been adjusted by action of said mechanism.

12. In apparatus of the character described, a track-element including a lower stationary member and an upper vertically movable trip-member which are joined to provide a water-tight chamber.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES CULTON. Witnesses G. J. ROLLANDET, L. RHoADns.

Copies of this patent may be. obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

